Valve for hollow inflatable articles



23, 19.45.` F. Fr-:N'roN 12,387,433

VALVE FOR HOLLOW INFLATABLE ARTICLES Filed oct. 16, 1944 INVENToR. Frank Fenton "wilg-IQ 6e@ Patented Oct. 23, 1945 VALVE Fon HOLLOW INFLATABLE ARTICLES ,Frank Fenton, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The Sun Rubber Company, Bai-herten, Ohio, a corporationv of Ohio Application October -16, 1944, Serial No. 558,821 I (ci. 27a-ss) 5 Claims.

This invention relates to valves for hollow inflatable articles, such as footballs.

Heretofore, inflatable articles such as footballs or the like have been provided with various types of self-sealing valves. One typeof valve which in the past has received somewhat greater acceptance by the trade than others has usually comprised a hollow valve stem filled with a core of material having the `quality of being self-sealing or self-healing upon punctur-` ingthe valve with a needle-type inflating device. Attempts have been made-at various times 1 to provide a valve `design which would permit ready removaland replacement of the self-sealing core, `but such lattmpts have not` been entirely satisfactory due to the fact that special tools or valve parts were required for the replacing operations, and were particularly unsatisfactory for replacements or repairs as by un Y skilled persons or children. i

\ fiating valve incorporated in a hollow rubber Y ball II, which may be a football having an inner One object of this invention is to provide an i improved self-sealing valve of the type described; in which is obviated the fore-mentioned difliculties, by the provision of effective and efficient means whereby substantially unskilled persons are enabled `quickly and easily to repair the valve when its self-sealing properties become impaired;

blader I2 of rubber or other air impervious material, and an outer cover of rubber having., an appropriate molded design thereon, or of fabric, or leather as desired. l

The valve IIJ may comprise a hollow stem portion I3 of vulcanized rubber extending integrally from a relatively thin base portion I4.\ which may becircular or ,ovate, or as desired,- The and tapered outwardly to feathered edges. inner surface of the base I4 is cemented, cured. o r otherwise adhered to the outer face of bladder I2, with stem I3 projecting inwardly through an aperture I5 therein.- Stem I3 may have an inwardly curving wall, as indicated at I6, tapering to a relatively small rounded tip `I1, and pro vidinga` similarly shaped chamber I8 in the valve. An opening I9 from the chamber I8 and through base' I4 is of diameter substantially equal to that of the widest part of said tapered chamber, for a purpose to be described.

As best shown in Figure 3, a tapered plug 2l of soft vulcanized rubber, `and of substantially the same shape as chamber I8, but slightly larger so as to be receivable therein against inherent resiliency or elasticity of the wall of stem I3.

I A reduced portion 22 of plug 2| provides a shoulder 23 to be yieldingly receivable under correspending shoulder portions 24 in the chamber,

i said reduced portion 22 being adapted to exmaterially aided by internal pressure of the in- Ilated article.

These 'and other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief, description -and the accompanying drawing.

Of the accompanying drawing: I, Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section through a valve embodying the invention tend outwardly a short distance through opening I9. Thus the plug is adapted to be forced into the chamber I8` and to be held therein by said resiliency of the expanded wall thereof and the interengaging shoulder portions 23 and 24 of plug 2I and stem I3, respectively. The plug `may be cemented or otherwise adhered in chamx ber I3.

The plug 2I may be securely retained in stem I3 by means of a closure cap 25 (see Figure/i) of vulcanized rubber, preferably somewhat harder than the rubber of the valve, or other relatively hard material. This cap is adapted, to be received in opening I9 of thestem and lmay have provided thereon an annular enlargement or tongue 26 adapted to be pressed into an annular groove 21a in stem I3 within the opening I9, by distorting the mouth portion of the stem, the inner face of said baste portion being engageable with the outer end of plug 2l. The reduced portion 21 of the cap then .extends outwardly in opening I9, the outer end ofthe cap being made flush with the outer surface of/the ball II, as best illustrated in Figure 1. The cap also may be cemented in place if desired, and if the material thereof is substantially hard it maybe necessary to provide a central aperture (not shown) for passage of the inating needle.

In the use of the improved valve, assembled as described above and as shown in Figure 1, for inflating football II, the needle f an inflating device of known type is pierced through the cap 25, soft-rubber plug or core 2|, and tip end of tapered stem I3 to inflate the ball. Upon removal of the needle the compressive resiliency of the soft-rubber'plug 2l, both due to the inherent resiliency of wall I3 of the stem and the additional internal pressure against said wall, will be selfsealing to close the puncture made by said needle and thereby prevent escape of fluid-pressure medium from the ball.

In place of soft vulcanized rubber, the plug 2| may be of any self-sealing or self-healing material, such as raw or unvulcanized rubber, or the chamber I8 may be filled with rubber cement or like material adapted to have a similar self-healing effect. Likewise'when it becomes necessary to replace or enhance the self-sealing properties of the plug 2I after continued use the cap 2 is readilyremovable, as by means of a pointed instrument (see chain-dotted lines in Figure 2) to permit such replacement, as by insertion of a new plug of the materials described above, or the chamber I8 may beiilled with readily available material such as rubber cement commonly supplied inv standard tire repair kits. The cap 25 is also readily replaceable when it becomes Worn.

As the size of opening I9 closely approximates the size of the lplug or core 2I at its generally greatest perimeter, -quick and effective performance of the above operations is greatly facilitated, whether for the original installation in a ball or for replacement purposes.

Thus has beenprovided an improved self-sealing valve which attains the purposes set forth in the objects. Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l1. A valve for inflatable articles, comprising a stem of rubber or like material having a cavity thereinand having an opening atone end to be presented outwardly'of the article, a self-sealing plug received in said Jstem cavity, a closure cap.

for fitting in said `opening for retaining said plug in the stem, and interconnecting tongue and' groove means on said stem and said cap for releasably securing the capin said opening.

2. A valve for inatable articles, comprising a stem of rubber or like material having a cavity therein and having an opening at one end to be presented outwardly of the article, said opening relative to said cavity providing an inwardly presented shoulder on said stem, a plug of self-sealing material received in said stem cavity and engaging said shoulder, a closure cap for tting.

in said outer opening for retaining said plug in the stem,- and interconnecting means on said stem and said cap for releasably securing the cap in said opening, the size of said outer opening approximating thersize of said plug at its greatest perimeter.

3. A valve for inflatable articles, comprising a stem of rubber or like material having a cavity therein and having an opening at one end to be presented outwardly of the article, said opening relative to said cavity providing an inwardly presented shoulder on said stem, the wall of said stem tapering from adjacent said open end to a rounded tip, a plug of self-sealing material received in said stem cavity and engaging said shoulder, a closure cap for tting in said opening for retaining said plug in the stem cavity, and

interconnecting means on said stem and said cap for releasably securing the cap in said opening against the resiliency of the rubber of said stem, the size of said opening approximating the size of said plug at its greatest perimeter.

4. A valve for inatable articles, comprising a` stem of rubber or like material having a cavity therein and having an opening at one end to be presented outwardly of the article, a plug of selfsealing material received in said stem cavity, a closure cap for fitting in said opening for retain ing said plug` in the stem cavity, and interconnecting means on ksaid stem and said cap for releasably securing the cap in said opening, the size of said opening approximating the size of said plug at its greatest perimeter, said interconnecting means comprising an annular recess in said opening of the stem and an annular enlargement provided on said cap adapted to be received in said annular recess.

5. A valve for inflatable articles, comprising a stem of rubber or like material having a cavity therein and having an opening at one end to be presented outwardly of the article, the wall of said stem tapering from adjacent said open end to a rounded tip, a plug of self-sealing material received in said stem cavity, a closure cap for fitting in said opening for retaining said plug in the stem cavity, and interconnecting means on said stem and said cap for releasably securing the cap in said opening, the size of said opening approximating the size of said plug at its greatest perimeter, said interconnecting means comprising v 

